BECKETT$ was given 64 mil as an underperforming, overrated, the he!! with the team attitude........ And Bill-806 is constantly taken to task by "T-BALLERS OF THE BOARD" WHO HAVE NOT EMBRACED THE FACT that Ben C & LUCCIANNOS are darn lucky that they dumped him !!!

BECKETT$ was given 64 mil as an underperforming, overrated, the he!! with the team attitude........ And Bill-806 is constantly taken to task by "T-BALLERS OF THE BOARD" WHO HAVE NOT EMBRACED THE FACT that Ben C & LUCCIANNOS are darn lucky that they dumped him !!!

I haven't seen much "love" for Beckett Bill. Only "love" for facts that get in the way of your overstatement. No doubt Josh was inconsistent, injury-prone (thus the inconsistency) and poor in conditioning (thus the injury-prone). So, in the end, I am not upset with the unloading if his contract, especially given his overall mediocre performance of 2012. But, it is good to get some facts injected into your endless litany of over-simplified Fat Cats. Us T-Ballers are hardly giving Beckett love when we point out that his 2009 season was very strong and his 2011, prior to injury, was better than his 07.

BECKETT$ was given 64 mil as an underperforming, overrated, the he!! with the team attitude........ And Bill-806 is constantly taken to task by "T-BALLERS OF THE BOARD" WHO HAVE NOT EMBRACED THE FACT that Ben C & LUCCIANNOS are darn lucky that they dumped him !!!

I haven't seen much "love" for Beckett Bill. Only "love" for facts that get in the way of your overstatement. No doubt Josh was inconsistent, injury-prone (thus the inconsistency) and poor in conditioning (thus the injury-prone). So, in the end, I am not upset with the unloading if his contract, especially given his overall mediocre performance of 2012. But, it is good to get some facts injected into your endless litany of over-simplified Fat Cats. Us T-Ballers are hardly giving Beckett love when we point out that his 2009 season was very strong and his 2011, prior to injury, was better than his 07.

Space, your a good man ....... Howevaaa, I maintain that the 64 MIL was $$$ that was spent foolishly in THEOS final days in the WAR'S of the EXECUTIVE OFFICES on Yawkey Way....... And like the $$$$$ that is wasted by the "BIG O & COMPANY" to 3rd world countries & the "SOLANDRAS" of the hearts of the lib/left/green/moonbats, the Beckett$ signing darn near brought John Henrys house that Ted, Yaz and many others BUILT, down....... Again, darn lucky Ben found the DODGERS to stop the bleeding for us !!!

MOON, you are 100% right and you are "making my point" !!!! Beckett$ was way on the road to decline when THEO reupt him with the 64MIL contract that would include all the CHICKEN & BEER that he desired, only that it was a one-way contract that Beckett$ could/would not deliver on !!!

BECKETT$ was given 64 mil as an underperforming, overrated, the he!! with the team attitude........ And Bill-806 is constantly taken to task by "T-BALLERS OF THE BOARD" WHO HAVE NOT EMBRACED THE FACT that Ben C & LUCCIANNOS are darn lucky that they dumped him !!!

I haven't seen much "love" for Beckett Bill. Only "love" for facts that get in the way of your overstatement. No doubt Josh was inconsistent, injury-prone (thus the inconsistency) and poor in conditioning (thus the injury-prone). So, in the end, I am not upset with the unloading if his contract, especially given his overall mediocre performance of 2012. But, it is good to get some facts injected into your endless litany of over-simplified Fat Cats. Us T-Ballers are hardly giving Beckett love when we point out that his 2009 season was very strong and his 2011, prior to injury, was better than his 07.

Space, your a good man ....... Howevaaa, I maintain that the 64 MIL was $$$ that was spent foolishly in THEOS final days in the WAR'S of the EXECUTIVE OFFICES on Yawkey Way....... And like the $$$$$ that is wasted by the "BIG O & COMPANY" to 3rd world countries & the "SOLANDRAS" of the hearts of the lib/left/green/moonbats, the Beckett$ signing darn near brought John Henrys house that Ted, Yaz and many others BUILT, down....... Again, darn lucky Ben found the DODGERS to stop the bleeding for us !!!

I will agree that the 64 M was an overpay. The contract was based on past performance as opposed to a realistic measurenet of future value. Which was a mistake. On top of the overpay (which you cant blame Beckett for), Beckett had a questionable work ethic and wasnt very likable (you can blame him for this).

In the end, we are all happy that we got out from under the contract...

...However, he was a good pitcher for us from 2007 through 2011. He averaged a 4.2 ERA over that 5 year span. That is a very good ERA, for a 5 yr period in the AL East during the tail end of the "juicer period" (ERAs did not start coming down until the end of that 5 year period). For that period, he was a very good #2 starter (considering division). He was also the playoff MVP in our 2007 championshi season.

So he pitched like a good #2 starter for most of his duration here, and was a playoff hero.

Yes, it was time for him to go. Yes, his unconsistency was frustrating. Yes, his attitude made him hard to like. But he did help this team win a championship and a lot of other games as well.

Moon, please don't muddy Bill's redundancies with facts...that is usually too diffucult for him to understand.

Some Sox fans might have thought Beckett was going to be able to repeat such performances after 2007, but who knew once he got his contract he would re-state his priorities. Maybe as fans we should have learned from the original Texas con man.

Moon, please don't muddy Bill's redundancies with facts...that is usually too diffucult for him to understand.

Some Sox fans might have thought Beckett was going to be able to repeat such performances after 2007, but who knew once he got his contract he would re-state his priorities. Maybe as fans we should have learned from the original Texas con man.

BINGO !!!!! "Your making all my points, again" !! Heck, that wasn't much of a headscratcher, 64mil re-upt was like Congress saying that the "BIG O" SHOULD GET A 3RD TERM !!!! (to finish the destruction of America)

MOON, you are 100% right and you are "making my point" !!!! Beckett$ was way on the road to decline when THEO reupt him with the 64MIL contract that would include all the CHICKEN & BEER that he desired, only that it was a one-way contract that Beckett$ could/would not deliver on !!!

It's not easy for me to pin Beckett's troubles on beer and chicken.

It's very rare that a man with his drive to lead his team to a ring in 2003 (Marlins) and 2007 (Sox) can suddenly become a deadbeat. I don't believe people change that much very often. "You are what you are" and all that.

I'm not saying money can't change a person. I'm nto saying Beckett being out of shape didn't play a role in his injuries and "off years", but the guy was a champion. A champion of champions, actually.

After 2007, he was off and on, literally every other year. That's not as horrible as many here want to think it is, especially in light of the fact that we've had starters who are bad every year. I don't blame him personally for Sept 2011. I don't blame beer and chicken either- that's been part of baseball for over a century.

I'm not one to think you need perfect clubhouse harmony to win rings. There are countless examples of quite the opposite happening, but I will admit, Josh did not help spawn an attitude of cheering for your teammates. Had we made the playoffs in 2011, one could easily have pointed to Beckett's full season as the main reason. We missed by one game, and all of a sudden, it's all his fault in some poster's minds.

Yeah, in hindsight, the extension was foolish, but I can hear this board now had we let a 2 time WS leading pitcher walk and he had a couple great seasons with someone else. The writing was not on the wall to be easily read by anyone. Yes, some here voiced anger or doubt at the time of the deal, but it's not so easy to find starters with a history like Beckett's. I guess we could have signed CJ Wilson, E Jackson, or Buehrle, huh? They surely would have led us to the promise land, right?

Theo hoped Beckett still had it in him. It's not something lost that easily without injury. It looks like he guessed wrong.

That chapter is behind us now. Tell Ben, how we can find the next 2003 Beckett.

During the years 2006-2009 he was 65-34 including three years when he won 16, 20, and 17 games. And he did it for an average salary of just over $8M/yr. A real bargain.

During the years 2010-2011 he went 19-13 and got paid an average of $14.5M/yr, and that's too much for that kind of production. However, such is the way with contracts sometimes. Teams pay for past performance, especially when extending a contract as opposed to acquiring a player.

Without Beckett the team very arguably would not have won the WS in 2007 nor would they have been contenders in the remaining three years of his original contract with the Sox.

No doubt his personality contributed to his wearing out his welcome in Boston but that's the same personality we liked when he took the ball and said, "You've got to go through ME to beat US." He was an emotional leader by example during his good years. Unfortunately he was also a leader by example in 2012.

The "love" comes because some of us remember and appreciate what he did for the team, just like we remember and appreciate the job Bill Buckner did for the team, and we don't remember them only for the bad times.

BUT.. for Beckett as for Buckner and many others, the time had come for him to move on and that's fine with me. I'm glad he's gone and I'm glad the FO was able to unload his salary but I'll always appreciate what he did for the team during his productive years.

I find that life works out better for me when I make sure my gratitude exceeds my expectations. Try it. You might like it.

During the years 2006-2009 he was 65-34 including three years when he won 16, 20, and 17 games. And he did it for an average salary of just over $8M/yr. A real bargain.

During the years 2010-2011 he went 19-13 and got paid an average of $14.5M/yr, and that's too much for that kind of production. However, such is the way with contracts sometimes. Teams pay for past performance, especially when extending a contract as opposed to acquiring a player.

Without Beckett the team very arguably would not have won the WS in 2007 nor would they have been contenders in the remaining three years of his original contract with the Sox.

No doubt his personality contributed to his wearing out his welcome in Boston but that's the same personality we liked when he took the ball and said, "You've got to go through ME to beat US." He was an emotional leader by example during his good years. Unfortunately he was also a leader by example in 2012.

The "love" comes because some of us remember and appreciate what he did for the team, just like we remember and appreciate the job Bill Buckner did for the team, and we don't remember them only for the bad times.

BUT.. for Beckett as for Buckner and many others, the time had come for him to move on and that's fine with me. I'm glad he's gone and I'm glad the FO was able to unload his salary but I'll always appreciate what he did for the team during his productive years.

I find that life works out better for me when I make sure my gratitude exceeds my expectations. Try it. You might like it.

Moon, please don't muddy Bill's redundancies with facts...that is usually too diffucult for him to understand.

Some Sox fans might have thought Beckett was going to be able to repeat such performances after 2007, but who knew once he got his contract he would re-state his priorities. Maybe as fans we should have learned from the original Texas con man.

BINGO !!!!! "Your making all my points, again" !! Heck, that wasn't much of a headscratcher, 64mil re-upt was like Congress saying that the "BIG O" SHOULD GET A 3RD TERM !!!! (to finish the destruction of America)

I don't think so Bill, you are speaking using 20/20 hindsight...my point was that prior to Beckett being given his contract he had proved he was one of the better pitchers in the game.

Like Clemens last Sox contract, the money went to his head and he milked it until the last few months before it ran out. Roger the dodger then went on to have Cy Young seasons elsewhere in order to prove Duquette wrong about him being 'In the twilight of his career'.

Beckett, just won a championship and decided that he was going to focus on family and not prioritize his career in Boston anymore...I, for one, will not be surprised if Beckett also pulls a Clemens now and pitches lights out for the Dodgers. In that he will play the role of Texas Con Man II.

During the years 2006-2009 he was 65-34 including three years when he won 16, 20, and 17 games. And he did it for an average salary of just over $8M/yr. A real bargain.

During the years 2010-2011 he went 19-13 and got paid an average of $14.5M/yr, and that's too much for that kind of production. However, such is the way with contracts sometimes. Teams pay for past performance, especially when extending a contract as opposed to acquiring a player.

Without Beckett the team very arguably would not have won the WS in 2007 nor would they have been contenders in the remaining three years of his original contract with the Sox.

No doubt his personality contributed to his wearing out his welcome in Boston but that's the same personality we liked when he took the ball and said, "You've got to go through ME to beat US." He was an emotional leader by example during his good years. Unfortunately he was also a leader by example in 2012.

The "love" comes because some of us remember and appreciate what he did for the team, just like we remember and appreciate the job Bill Buckner did for the team, and we don't remember them only for the bad times.

BUT.. for Beckett as for Buckner and many others, the time had come for him to move on and that's fine with me. I'm glad he's gone and I'm glad the FO was able to unload his salary but I'll always appreciate what he did for the team during his productive years.

I find that life works out better for me when I make sure my gratitude exceeds my expectations. Try it. You might like it.

Your working too hard on this......... As you posted 2010-2011 , 19-13 @14 Milwas a clear indication that the "end was near" for the "TEXAS TOUGH GUY"..... If I recall 2011 started with a debate on if & when THEO would offer him a contract & how much $$$$$ .... I think in looking back, RED SOX NATION was taken by surprise at the 64 mil late in the season deal with THEO......... And as DAD would say........ "SON, THE REST IS HISTORY" !!!! THEO is long gone (BTW, for CHRIS CARPETER who the Sox have retained for another year) And again, the $$$$$$$ people in BOSTON are still giddy over the fleceing of the DODGERS !!! Which HISTORY will call "THE BRINKS JOB IN REVERSE" !!!! Beckett$, Crawford, and A-GON !!!!! A Hollywood movie should be in the works, sooooon !!!

Moon, please don't muddy Bill's redundancies with facts...that is usually too diffucult for him to understand.

Some Sox fans might have thought Beckett was going to be able to repeat such performances after 2007, but who knew once he got his contract he would re-state his priorities. Maybe as fans we should have learned from the original Texas con man.

BINGO !!!!! "Your making all my points, again" !! Heck, that wasn't much of a headscratcher, 64mil re-upt was like Congress saying that the "BIG O" SHOULD GET A 3RD TERM !!!! (to finish the destruction of America)

I don't think so Bill, you are speaking using 20/20 hindsight...my point was that prior to Beckett being given his contract he had proved he was one of the better pitchers in the game.

Like Clemens last Sox contract, the money went to his head and he milked it until the last few months before it ran out. Roger the dodger then went on to have Cy Young seasons elsewhere in order to prove Duquette wrong about him being 'In the twilight of his career'.

Beckett, just won a championship and decided that he was going to focus on family and not prioritize his career in Boston anymore...I, for one, will not be surprised if Beckett also pulls a Clemens now and pitches lights out for the Dodgers. In that he will play the role of Texas Con Man II.

Only if he starts taking the same "blueberry juice" that Roger was able to "restart" his fastball !!!

During the years 2006-2009 he was 65-34 including three years when he won 16, 20, and 17 games. And he did it for an average salary of just over $8M/yr. A real bargain.

During the years 2010-2011 he went 19-13 and got paid an average of $14.5M/yr, and that's too much for that kind of production. However, such is the way with contracts sometimes. Teams pay for past performance, especially when extending a contract as opposed to acquiring a player.

Without Beckett the team very arguably would not have won the WS in 2007 nor would they have been contenders in the remaining three years of his original contract with the Sox.

No doubt his personality contributed to his wearing out his welcome in Boston but that's the same personality we liked when he took the ball and said, "You've got to go through ME to beat US." He was an emotional leader by example during his good years. Unfortunately he was also a leader by example in 2012.

The "love" comes because some of us remember and appreciate what he did for the team, just like we remember and appreciate the job Bill Buckner did for the team, and we don't remember them only for the bad times.

BUT.. for Beckett as for Buckner and many others, the time had come for him to move on and that's fine with me. I'm glad he's gone and I'm glad the FO was able to unload his salary but I'll always appreciate what he did for the team during his productive years.

I find that life works out better for me when I make sure my gratitude exceeds my expectations. Try it. You might like it.

Your working too hard on this......... As you posted 2010-2011 , 19-13 @14 Milwas a clear indication that the "end was near" for the "TEXAS TOUGH GUY"..... If I recall 2011 started with a debate on if & when THEO would offer him a contract & how much $$$$$ .... I think in looking back, RED SOX NATION was taken by surprise at the 64 mil late in the season deal with THEO......... And as DAD would say........ "SON, THE REST IS HISTORY" !!!! THEO is long gone (BTW, for CHRIS CARPETER who the Sox have retained for another year) And again, the $$$$$$$ people in BOSTON are still giddy over the fleceing of the DODGERS !!! Which HISTORY will call "THE BRINKS JOB IN REVERSE" !!!! Beckett$, Crawford, and A-GON !!!!! A Hollywood movie should be in the works, sooooon !!!

No, Bill. You're not trying hard enough. Don't let the facts get in the way of your bias.

You're right. 2010-2011 was a clear indication that the end was near for The Texas Toughguy.

The flaw in your reasoning is that Beckett signed that $64MM contract extention on April 10, 2010. That's essentially BEFORE the 2010 season. It's also AFTER the 2009 season when Beckett went 17-6, 3.86 with 4 CG and 2 shutouts and pitched over 200 innings. He was a stud. He was a horse. And a big contract was warranted.

If someone in the Sox FO had had a crystal ball they probably wouldn't have signed that contract with him but they couldn't see into the future. They also didn't have the benefit of the 20/20 hindsight that you have now that allows you to Monday Morning QB the signing.

If you want to say he was overpaid in 2010-2011 I'll agree with you. If you want to say that his personality combined with his lack of production made it necessary to move him I'll agree with that too. But to criticize the FO for that signing that took place in April of 2010 after a great season in 2009 isn't rational.

Josh has never had an odd year ERA higher than his best even year ERA (3.79), except his 3.86 ERA in '09.

It's been up and down every single season of his career.

Thanks MOON....... Looking at the overall time with the Sox ONE/I would say that because of the other good pitchers around him (Schilling,Lester, Buch, & Bullpen) the "FAT-CAT" was a SOLID # 3+ Starter........ And during that time, all of "his other stuff" probably reduced his "real value" to the team to a 3-3A..... It is what it is, SON !!!!!!